Celebrating World Rhino Day at the Donkin Reserve in Nelson Mandela Bay

It is fitting that World Rhino Day fell on the Heritage Day weekend. The One Land Love It Team celebrated the completion of the

OLLI Frontier Rhino Ride and this iconic species and its space in our natural heritage, alongside

Nelson Mandela Bay’s famous giant flag at the Donkin Reserve with

Executive Mayor Athol Trollip and other partners.

Wayne with some of our special guests including the Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay, Athol Trollip;

The CEO of Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism, Mandlekazi Skefile;

Representatives of our #JointCustody School Challenge;

Olli Partners and Friends

OLLI FRONTIER RHINO RIDE

The Olli Frontier Rhino Ride kicked off in July this year where PE businessman and rhino activist, Wayne Bolton, set off on a 2000km mountain bike cycle from Nelson Mandela Bay through KwaZulu Natal to the Mozambique border. The purpose was to raise awareness and funds for rhino conservation initiatives and a ‘call to action’. To date R64 000 has been raised through this year’s expedition for OLLI’s beneficiary, Care for Wild Africa, a rhino orphanage.

With alarming statistics and poaching activity constantly in the news it was fitting that this expedition focused on a new frontier currently bearing the brunt of this scourge – the provinces of KZN and the Eastern Cape.

Kruger National Park has been the primary focus of such activity but as their anti-poaching efforts have become more sophisticated and successful, poachers are setting their sights on a new frontier. Last year Wayne, a SANParks Honorary Ranger, completed a 6000km cycle of 2 ½ months connecting all 19 SANParks and focusing on their role as the official custodian of our natural heritage.This year’s OLLI Frontier Rhino Ride saw Wayne connect 20 game reserves along a 2000km route that highlighted the role that our private parks are playing in conservation. Some provincial parks were also included as OLLI paid tribute to the “boots on the ground” - Anti-Poaching Units (APUs) and Canine Units. These Rangers - men, women and their tracker dogs - are committed to protecting our natural heritage, especially those that are endangered and vulnerable. They fulfil the traditional role of conservationist, protector and guardian with a gun in hand. The shift is that they do this, often at great personal risk, but not from those they protect but those whose unconscionable actions could wipe out what makes Africa unique and deprive generations to come of iconic species, not limited to the rhino.

Every day we are assaulted with rhino related news, from mixed messages about the trade in rhino horn, inventive ways of smuggling the horn recrafted as beads or powder to blatant bloodied horns packed in luggage on its way to supplement an irrational need and greed. “Rhino news fatigue” and a sense of helplessness often makes the public immune to a situation that this generation urgently needs to redress if we don’t want to see the extinction of this species. With about 21 000 rhino, approximately 85% of the world’s population, resident in South Africa, we cannot accept losing one rhino to poaching let alone 1000 in a year. The birth rate is rapidly being overtaken by the death rate and despite inroads in counteracting poaching, the situation is still far from acceptable.

ORDINARY PEOPLE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

3 Generations of the Bolton family participated in the OLLI Frontier Rhino Ride. Wayne cycled along with his children Daniel (23) and Laura (21) who joined him on certain legs of the journey. His wife, Nikki, Melissa Farquhar and parents formed the support team towing the life-sized fibreglass rhino OLLI (acronym for One Land Love It). At each park the Scroll of Unity in Conservation was signed as part of a pledge to protect and conserve our natural heritage – this in the spirit of one of the expedition’s goals - #JointCustody – everyone doing their part to be accountable and take responsibility where they are placed.

At the Olli Frontier Rhino Ride Launch in June 2017, Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor, Athol Trollip, Titus Chuene of Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism (NMBT) and Wayne Bolton (an Ambassador of NMBT) placed the first ring on Olli’s horn. The second ring was placed by Grey Junior School’s Headmaster, Lyndsay Pearson, teachers and students involved in the OLLI #JointCustody School Rhino Challenge. At each park a further ring was placed until the horn was covered in the colours of the South African flag – a symbolic statement of their determination to protect our natural heritage. Representing the Olli family, Wayne’s father, Dave, placed the final ring on Olli’s horn with ex Springbok Captain, John Smit, in attendance after having cycled the last day with Wayne, his children Daniel and Laura, and friend Shaun Forster to the finale at Sun Sibaya.

A real privilege to have the SANDF raise the flag for OLLI along with our Partners and Mayor Trollip

WORLD RHINO DAY

22 September 2017

This World Rhino Day, after the flag raising ceremony by our SANDF, Messages of Unity in Conservation were handed back to NMB Mayor and the CEO of NMBT in reciprocation to theirs sent to eThekweni Mayor Cllr Zandile Gumede and Durban Tourism. This reinforcing the need for all areas of influence in South Africa, from the ordinary person to those in public service, private and national parks, government and municipality to work together and proactively take the stance that we will not allow our natural heritage to be pillaged.

Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism CEO, Ms Mandlakazi Skefile warmly congratulated the OLLI team, “Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism is extremely proud to congratulate Mr Wayne Bolton on yet another successful expedition for the plight to conserve our natural heritage, especially today as it is significantly World Rhino Day. Wayne is an inspiration and phenomenal leader in the endeavour to unite every person to make a difference in protecting our natural resources that are without a doubt one of the many reasons that makes Nelson Mandela Bay an ideal tourism destination. Mr Bolton’s character is what makes him an exceptional tourism ambassador for our destination and we thank him and wish him well for future expeditions”.

In the words of Wayne Bolton: “It is incumbent on us all as citizens of the planet to safeguard our wildlife. With sixty percent of the worlds’ vertebrate numbers lost since 1970, the time has come for ordinary citizens to take responsibility for our environment. The accountability for conserving the iconic rhino inescapably rests with South Africans as we are custodians of a vast majority of the species. We are a proud nation and refuse to let extinction be a part of our legacy”.

The Bolton family plans to continue their drive to protect our wildlife through the formation of the One Land Love It non-profit company.

For more information visit www.oneland.co.za or contact at nikki@oneland.co.za.